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Unlocking File Searches: Effective Methods to Find Text Within Files on Windows

Published at
7/31/2024
Categories
microsoft
searchbar
tooling
windows
Author
Kailash Nirmal
Unlocking File Searches: Effective Methods to Find Text Within Files on Windows

Sometimes, you don't get the desired results in the Windows search bar for the text you are searching for in any file from a particular folder. When this happens, you can try the following methods to locate the text efficiently within the specified directory.

Method 1: Using Command Prompt

Open Command Prompt:
Press Windows + R, type cmd, and press Enter.
Change Directory:
Type cd c:\directory in which you want to search\ and press Enter.
Search for the Text:
Type the following command and press Enter:
findstr /s /i "text you want to search" .

This will search for the specified text in all files in the current directory and its subdirectories.

Explanation of the Command:
findstr: This command is used to search for strings in files.
/s: This option tells findstr to search in the current directory and all subdirectories.
/i: This option makes the search case-insensitive.
"textyouwanttosearch": This is the text you are searching for.
.: This indicates that you want to search through all files in the directory.

Method 2: Using PowerShell

Open PowerShell:
Press Windows + X and select Windows PowerShell or Windows Terminal.
Change Directory:
Type cd C:\desired directory and press Enter.
Search for the Text:
Type the following command and press Enter:
powershell Select-String -Path . -Pattern "text you want to search" -CaseSensitive . This will search for the text in all files in the current directory.

Method 4: Using a Text Editor

you can use a text editor like Notepad++, Visual Studio Code, or Sublime Text, which has a "Find in Files" feature.

Open the Text Editor.
Use "Find in Files":
For example, in Notepad++, go to Search > Find in Files.
Set the directory to C:\your desired directory.
Enter textyouwanttosearch in the "Find what" field and click Find All.

Hope this helps!!

Thanks,
JavaCharter
Kailash Nirmal

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